Adjustable bookbinder.



No. 855,894. P-A'TENTED JUNE 4, 1907.

M. Z. KIRK.

ADJUSTABLE BOOKBINDER.

,APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 18, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l,

o. 855,894. PATENTED JUNE 4, 1907.

M. z. KIRK.

ADJUSTABLE BOOKBINDER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18, 1906.

2 SHEEN-SHEET z.

. I l in which the leavesare clamped tightly be? orting strips that are. hinged to.

. To, (ZZZ whom it may concern.-

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIQIfl MAHLONI Z. KIRK, J or DENVER,1C0LORADO, AssIeNoRTo THE JOHN c.

WINSTON COMPANYQOF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

I ADJUSTABLE seeksmeen,

Be it known that I, MAHLON Z. KIRK, a

' citizen of the United States of America, re

' tween sup ".vide a laterally adjustable, loose leat book ble. I attain these objects anism illustrated book binder andleaf ho 'tional leaves can be easily "and. quickly place'd, and in which-all absolutelyinvisible when the book-is closed.

siding at the cit and county of Denver and State of Colora 0, have invented a new and useful Adjustable Bookbinder, of which, the

following isaspecification;

My invention relates to improvements in bindings for books, and the .objects of my inventionare: First, to 1provide ahllmilse'lefif der, in w '0 ad attachments are Second, to provide a detachable book binder the back 0 the binding. And third, to probinder, which is compact, ple and durain the accompanying draw-- ings,inwhich: f 7 Figure 1, is a perspective view of the back of abook, showing my improved binding device securedv thereto, the. leaves bein orn'itted.- Fig; 2, isja transverse, sectiona Fig. 3, is a. similar. view, the fastened by abutton.

view of a portion-of. a book and the binding I device on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1,-showing the '39.

leaves bound in position, ascrew being used to connect all portions of thebinder together. parts being Fig. 4, is a. transverse, sectional view,.showing a modification in the manner of hinging the clamping strips I to the back strip. And Figs. 5 and 6, are

be made of any suitable material, Theseperspective views detached. p Similar letters of reference refer to snmlar of the two clamping plates parts throughout'the several'views. Referring tothe drawings, the numeral 1,

designates a pair of book covers, which may 'jcovers are provided with the usual central I is constructed and the covers as follows: j My improvedbinder has a supportin back portion. 3, whichma '1 be const uct? of a ,st'rip of wood, 'woodber, rubber, metal, or

. porting back 'portiono'r 4 5 cover joint andbinding securing channel por- -tion,.2, and tothis channelandcoverjoint I portion I secure my improved-binder, which arranged and attachedto of any other suitable, materia1..This supclampin ill? fi l y blmil a latented June 4,1907.-

is secured directly to the hinging channel portion of the covers," bygluejbuttons, or by fastenings of any desired-kind, or by any other suitable means, orit may'be covered with leather or any other suitable material, .and the eoverin alone may be glued or otherwise secure folding portion of covering of the back and the cured together to the central ofthe covers. I preferably employ for the back of binding a piece of wood and preferably cover it with leather 4, and to each side edge of the back3 of the binding, Ihin any suitable hinge joint 5, two strips 0 any suitable -material," preferabl using steel strips 6 and 7,, which I term 0 amping strips. These clamping strips are narrow strips of thin sheet or ribbon .steel, and they are hin ed to the back to normally stand at right back may be seang es to the back, but they are hinged in such a manner that they will be free to swing from one cover to the other when the covers are laid fully flat on their backs; they are also hinged with a hinge swinging oint' that willenable them to be adjustably moved lateral-1y from their joints and from each other, so that they can be extended wider than the normal size of the original book, and

to the cover hmgilng or' the covers, or both the hinging portion e by" a number of new and additional leaves may be added to it. Such a hinge. joint may be made in a number ofdifferent ways. Figs. 1, 2, and 3, I illustrate/the joint I preferably. use, and in Fig. 4 I illustrate two hinged joints I may also use if desired, In the construction shown in Figs. 1, 2,a.nd 8, the clam ing strips are secured to the back by a plia le fabric coverin such as leather canvas, or any other suitab e fabric or liable material, and I referably extend the eather.

covering 4, of t e back '3, of the binderup over and around the clamping strips, securely gluing, cementing, sewing or'otherwise securing the leather covering of the'back portion to the clampin strips, and thus securing a flexible as we as'in' a sufficiently 'pfgctical measure a laterally extending ge jointbetween the lower ends of the back. ne o the clamping strips, 6, may be provided with two or more projecting pins 8, which may be made of any suitable metal or too stri s and-the side edges of the materiahand are secured. by riveting or by solder or other suitable means to apertures book, or their length is equal approximately to the greatest distance'the strip 6, will be moved away from the ends of the posts 10, of the opposite strip 7, while the screws are still in engagement with the posts, and they are adapted to extend into perforations punched in the leaves of the book, and at any time after a book has been used and it is desiredlto add more leaves toit they permit that portion of the leaves that are on these pins, which-is about one-half of all of the leaves the book, to be turned back against the cover to which the clamping strip is secured; consequently the leaves that are mounted on these pins need not be removed from them. These posts 8 prevent the leaves from movin when more leaves are employed than W0 (1 permit the posts 10 to contact with the strip 6, as without them the exposed portions of the screws which are nec-' essarily of less diameter than the posts, would permit the leaves to move a slight distance. I

The opposite clamping strip 7, is provided I with two or more laterally rojectlng stems or material.

10, two being preferably s own, and they are referably p aced near the o posite ends of t e strip and. centrally of tfi These stems. are made of any suitable metal I preferably make them as well as the ins of brass or steel. These stems are rigidly secured by riveting or by other means, to apertures formed through the clamping strip to receive them. These stems are made to extend from the clamping strip 7 to close to but not necessarily against the clamping strip 6, a sufficient s ace being left between the free ends of t e stems and the inner side of the clamping strip 6 to permit the clamping strip 6 to be clamped to the leaves inserted between the two clamping strips, and through the clamping strip 6, in alinement with each stem, and in their ends I form holes 11, and axially through these stems I form threaded holes 12, which extend nearly through them, and inserthrough the clear holes 11, and screw into the 'threadedholes 12, screws 13, which are made lon enough to extend to close to the bottom 0 the threaded holes, and have enlarged head portions that bear against the outside of the clamping stri and draw the two clamping strips toget er, and thus rigidly clamp the clam ing strips and the leaves that are between t em together. The leaves of the book are also provided with apertures that are positioned to fit loosely over the threaded hollow stems, and leaves eir height. 1

enough are placed on the stemsand pins between the clamping strips to allow the screws.

to rigidly clamp the clamping strips against them, and when it is desiredto insert or add new leaves, the screws are loosened and are unscrewed from the stems, and the leaves that lie against the clamp 7, and extend to the ends of the'pins of the clamp 6, are turned against the cover of theclamp 7, and those leaves that are on the pins are turned against the cover of the clamp 6, as above described,

and the leaves are practically divided in the center and the new leaves can be inserted in the center if desired, but if the leaves are to be added to the front of the book the leaves must first be taken from .the pins or threaded stems, as required, and then the clamping screws are again inserted and screwedup tight, clam ing the new and old leaves together. The long screws and the flexible joint hinge between the clamping strips, and the back 3 of the binder, permit of the addition of a large number of new leaves to the book at any time.

In Fig. 3, I illustrate an ordinary glove fastening catch, for securing the clamp 6 to the stems 10. end of the stems are formed with expansible heads, which fit frictionally within sockets formed on the strips 6.

In Fig. 4, I illustrate another type of a hinged joint; in this view the clamping strips are hinged together by rings or loops of wire 15, at two or more points in their lengths, but the screw clamping strips and screws are used the same as in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. I Other types of loose hinges may be used without departing from the s irit of my invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the constructions shown, as my invention contemplates the use of any loose expanding or contracting joint between the clamping strips, and the back strip of the binder,that will permit of expansion and contraction of the clamping strips to enable leaves to be either added to or removed from the book, and to be rigidly and removably clamped by the clamping strips together.

My invention is simple, durable, and practical, and makes a very strong, firm, binding for each and every leaf in the book.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an adjustable binder for books,"the combination with -the covers, of the back In this arrangement, the free the threaded posts W be, held adjacent to and away from eacha plurality of perforated leaves, of a back strip secured? to the said cover, clamping strips hinged to said back strip; hollow posts on one of said clamping strips, which are interiorly threaded; screws which pass through perforations in the o posite. strip and into ereby said strips may other, said, posts assing through the perforated leaves, an pins on the erforated clamping strip of less length than t e threaded pins, which also enter perforations in the leaves and revent movement of the leaves, when the t readed posts are out of contact with the opposite bindin strip.

In testimony whereof affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' MAHLON Z. KIRK.

Witnesses: i

G. SARGENT ELLIOTT, ADEL a M. FOWLE. 

